The Philosophy Shelf.

Applied Ethics

Peter Bowden

Tilde University Press

c/o International Publishers Marketing

22841 Quicksilver Drive

Dulles, VA 20166

www.internationalpubmarket.com

9780734611499, $59.95, www.amazon.com

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. Applied Ethics is the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment. It is thus the attempts to use philosophical methods to identify the morally correct course of action in various fields of human life. Bioethics, for example, is concerned with identifying the correct approach to matters such as euthanasia, or the allocation of scarce health resources, or the use of human embryos in research. Environmental ethics is concerned with questions such as the duties or duty of 'whistleblowers' to the general public as opposed to their loyalty to their employers. Knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited by Peter Bowden (Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney), "Applied Ethics: Strengthening Ethical Practices" is a 262-page compendium comprised of twenty-one informed and informative articles (chapters) covering a wide range of practical ethical issues cogently organized into two major sections: 'The ethical framework' and 'Ethics in the disciplines'. Superbly presented, "Applied Ethics: Strengthening Ethical Practices" is especially recommended for academic course curriculums in Ethics, as well as a core addition to community and academic library Philosophy & Ethics reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

Plant-Thinking

Michael Marder

Columbia University Press

61 West 62nd St., NY, NY 10023-7015

http://cup.columbia.edu

9780231161251, $29.50, www.amazon.com

Vegetal, the adjectival form of the word vegetable. While a great deal has been written concerning the philosophy underlying vegetarianism and the rejection of the human consumption of animals, In "Plant-Thinking: A Philosophy of Vegetal Life", Michael Marder (Ikerbasque Research Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of the Basque Country, Spain) presents the non-cognitive, non-ideational, and non-imagistic mode of thinking proper to plants. Thoughtful, thought-provoking, and occasionally iconoclastic, "Plant-Thinking" is deftly organized into two major sections ('Vegetal Anti-Metaphysics' and 'Vegetal Existentiality'), "Plant-Thinking" is a superbly presented seminal work. Of special note is Professor Marder's 'Epilogue: The Ethical Offshoots of Plant-Thinking'. Enhanced with copious notes, a list of cited works, and a comprehensive index, "Plant-Thinking" is a highly recommended addition to personal and academic library Contemporary Philosophy reference collections and supplemental reading lists.